Strategy for Increasing the Participation of Students From a Seventh-day Adventist Background in Spiritual Activities in Kisii University

Problem The 1992 Annual Council of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists noted that "too often Adventist students on public campuses feel like second-class citizens; not only do they not fit in with the lifestyle of their secular campus, but the local church often ignores their needs, sometimes overtly suggesting that they are inferior to students who have chosen an Adventist education" (General Conference, 2005, p. 250). Kisii University serves as an example of a public university with low participation in spiritual activities by students from an Adventist background. Method A critical analysis of Bible texts on involvement of young people in ministry, a review of Ellen White’s writings concerning young people's participation in ministry, Seventh-day Adventist literature, and other Christian writers were consulted and the political, cultural, and religious background of the location of the project was described. A Gantt chart and logical framework approach was used to organize the project and describe the linkage of activities in the development and implementation of the project. The project implementation involved conducting a survey, developing a training curriculum on spiritual gift-based ministries, conducting the training, and monitoring and evaluation. Results The Kisii University Church experienced a tremendous increase in the number of students attending meetings, growing from 300 to 600 (100% increase) as witnessed during Sabbath services. During special meetings such as choir days the number went up to between 800 and 1,000. Conclusions Effective campus ministries extended to public universities for students from a Seventh-day Adventist background will create a vibrant presence of Adventism in secular universities. Establishing such a ministry in every public university will be a step forward in reaching out to thousands of Adventist students in those institutions.